Trusting autonomous vehicles as moral agents improves related policy support

Area of Science:

• Human-computer interaction
• Transportation technology
• Psychology of technology adoption

Background:

• Autonomous vehicles (AVs) present significant benefits but face low public acceptance.
• Trust is a critical factor influencing the adoption of new technologies like AVs.
• Existing trust models may not fully capture the nuances of human-technology interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of perceived technology integrity in autonomous vehicle (AV) adoption.
• To determine if perceived technology integrity influences AV policy support and adoption intent.
• To explore the Trust-Confidence-Cooperation model in the context of AVs.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized four research studies, including one preregistered experiment.
• A total of 3,937 participants were involved across the studies.
• The Trust-Confidence-Cooperation model was employed as a conceptual framework.

Main Results:

• Perceived technology integrity was found to be a significant predictor of AV adoption intent.
• Communication strategies enhancing perceived technology integrity led to increased AV adoption intent.
• Messages aimed at bolstering perceived integrity also positively influenced AV policy support.

Conclusions:

• Perceived technology integrity is a vital component of trust for AV adoption.
• Enhancing the perceived moral agency of AV technology can increase public acceptance.
• Targeted communication can foster trust and facilitate AV integration into transportation systems.